January 25, 1918 



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Cigar-Box Cedar 



KY C. D. MELL 



The advances 

 that have taken 

 place in the price 

 of cigar-box cedar 

 of late in the 

 American markets 

 are due not entire- 

 ly to the increased 

 rate of freight. A 

 well-known impor- 

 ter of this valuable 

 wood in New York 

 gave it as his opin- 

 ion that one of the 

 chief causes of the 

 high prices and the 

 constantly increas- 

 ing inferiority of 

 the quality of wood 

 now generally seen 

 in the New York 

 markets, is the fact 

 that the tree is 

 rapidly becoming 

 exterminated in the 

 accessible districts 

 of tropical Amer- 

 ica where the sup- 

 ply is obtained. 

 While there are ex- 

 tensive regions in 

 Central Amer- 

 ica that are only imperfectly explored and doubtless include consider- 

 able cedar still on the stump, the wood cannot be brought to market 

 at this time because it would cost too much to bring the logs to ship- 

 ping ports. 



There are also other factors operating against exploiting cedar sys- 

 tematically and economically. The lack of efficient labor is the most 

 serious drawback. The peons, mostly half-castes, the only kind of 

 labor available to undertake the difficult task of operating a tract, 

 are ignorant and extremely lazy and never take the trouble to pre- 

 vent undue waste or to save the young trees. Season after season 



FOREST GROWN SPANISH CED.\R TREES IN 

 THE INTERIOR OF COSTA RICA 



they go farther 

 afield and leave 

 desolation in their 

 course. The cut- 

 ting operations are 

 confined chiefly to 

 the dry season of 

 the year, which 

 may be said to be 

 from December to 

 about June 1. Dur- 

 ing this period the 

 slopes of the hills 

 on which cedar 

 principally grows, 

 become very dry 

 and during April 

 and May the fires 

 commence which 

 are invariably very 

 destructive, killing 

 all the seedlings 

 and many old trees 

 in the virgin for- 

 ests. It is estima- 

 ted that fire con- 

 sumes far more ce- 

 dar annually than 

 is cut and utOized. 

 Moreover, the' parts 

 of trunks and the 

 branches that 



square less than fifteen inches are seldom utUized. The waste in 

 top cuts and large branches in the aggregate represents enormous 

 quantities of a season's cuttings and should be avoided if cedar is 

 to last for use by the coming generation. 



Briefly stated, cigar-box cedar is becoming scarce throughout its 

 entire range of growth and it is very important that systematic efforts 

 be made to prevent a total exhaustion of the valuable forest product. 

 Students of tropical forestry and forest products will recall that at- 

 tempts have been made from time to time to grow cedar on a com- 

 mercial scale in large plantations. Very encouraging reports of such 



TREE WITH LOPPED BRANCHES IS CKDAI4 14 

 YEARS OLD AND 16 INCHES IN DIAMETER 



LARGE BRANCHES OF CEDAR 22 INCHES IN DIAMETER LEFT IN 

 THE BUSH TO ROT 



SQUARE CEDAR LOGS SHOWING WASTE BOTH BY SQUARING AND 

 IN THE FORM OF LARGE BRANCHES 



